The Mediterranean Diet Scores Again in the News

by Megan O. Steintrager

on 09/04/09 at 10:21 AM

Several weeks ago, I blogged about research that indicates that the Mediterranean Diet helps to lower blood pressure. (The way of eating includes lots of produce, legumes, whole grains, and good fats from olives and olive oil, fish, and nuts; moderate amounts of dairy such as yogurt and cheese; wine, especially red wine, in moderation; and very minimal consumption of red meat.) Now there's more good news about the diet:

I admit that I gobble up (pun intended) good news about the diet because I love Mediterranean food: I've never met an olive I didn't like, with the exception of an unbrined one I once ate straight off the tree. (Then again, I'm not giving up Southeast Asian food, or any other cuisine I consider to be delicious and healthy, just because it's not from the current nutritional hot zone.) Judging from the large volumes of traffic to Epicurious's feature on the Mediterranean Diet, many Epicurious members agree that the Mediterranean way of eating is a natural choice for food and wine lovers.

What's your take on the Mediterranean Diet: Could it really be the cure for all ills, or are these sorts of reports overblown or misconstrued?

Ah, to just pick the most healthy parts of each cuisine, that's the trick!
Generally, low processing, sugar & salt, coupled with high fibre and close to source seems to be the best way. Not many olive trees in my neck of the woods, but being on the west coast of Canada, there is is wonderful seafood and local vegetables. The corn at this time of year is spectacular! Eat locally, regionally, and seasonally and you will be much better off.

SandyinTX
04:42:02 PM on
09/07/09

Candice, I'm not sure I understand your first paragraph - of course olives, salt-cured anchovies, many cheeses are high-salt, but that doesn't say anything about the basic building blocks of the regional cuisine, which is what the studies are looking at. - the vegetables and whole grains. Even preserved meats are smoked as often as they are salted.
Re: Sun-dried tomatoes being the original processed food - is that good, because here's a preserved food with (if done right) no garbage in it, or bad because it's changed from what came out of the garden? I mean, if you don't do something to preserve the vegetables, winter eating's going to be mighty lean in a lot of the world . . .

jessicavanderhoff
02:13:00 PM on
09/07/09

Well, of course whole grains, vegetables, good fats and fish are good for you. We've all known that for ages.

Corky6
12:12:15 AM on
09/06/09

Candice, I would hate to think people would get a perception of Canadian cuisine by poutine and Timbits. Probably like most Canadians, I only needed to try them once, and that was once too often.

feng460
03:24:48 PM on
09/05/09

I love the Mediterranean dishes made with butter-drenched sheets of dough and stuffed with cheese--Tyropita is one of my faves, and Spanikopita, and then there's Fettucini Alfredo. I'm glad to have another good reason to eat these dishes -- yummy AND healthy!

candicebond
03:20:57 PM on
09/05/09

It should be mentioned that this diet is NOT appropriate for anyone needing a sodium-reduced diet. Olives, Olive oil, Anchovies, Capers, Sundried Tomatoes, these are the original "processed foods".

There is no doubt that grilled veggies are better for you than fries, but you can't go to any one region to find the perfect diet. Japanese can be healthy, but again with the salt issue. Nordic dishes, with all the whole grains and fish are good, but they eat an awful lot of dairy.

Of most interest of late is the Canadian diet (no, not timbits). Sorry I don't remember if it was the Globe or Star reporting it. Berries, apples, root veggies, whole grains like barley corn, and oats, bison (an absurdly lean red meat). Canadian bacon is leaner than regular. Even maple syrup is healthier than other sugars (big flavour means using less).

If we could just lay off the poutine and donuts, we'd be the skinniest nation!

SandyinTX
02:52:04 PM on
09/04/09

I think it's important to remember what a "study" actually does: it studies what (in this case) people have done/are doing, examines their condition, and looks to see whether people doing the same thing have similar or differing conditions in their lives. Given that definition (@ hannabell), a lot of the studies published regarding the effect of diet on health, including those drawing the conclusion that traditional Mediterranean and Asian patterns of eating do, all other things being equal, contribute to better health, are in fact legitimate scientific enquiries, as far as they go. (Whether the pop-science reporting is accurate as to conditions of the study, of course, is a legitimate other-question.)
The important phrases here (agreeing with Rockie) are "all other things being equal" (if one person eats a Mediterranean diet, but smokes heavily and gets no exercise, and another eats the Standard American Diet, but does not smoke, and runs and lifts weights faithfully, is there a useful correlation between their eating habits and health? Probably not.) and "as far as they go." A "study" is not a controlled, double-blind laboratory experiment, and its results should not be treated as such.
A properly-conducted study is a reasonable method of enquiry into questions which can't be subjected to laboratory methods, and its results should be taken into account and weighed along with those of any experimentation which *can* be done under lab conditions.
My general impression is that a diet focussing on vegetables (such as "Mediterranean" or "Asian" diets) is going to improve rather than degrade my general health, and there has certainly not been reported any legitimate research contradicting that assumption!

Alexanderone
02:46:42 PM on
09/04/09

Since I love this food, I believe, I believe.

Rockie
12:17:46 PM on
09/04/09

I think the key words here are: might, could, may...it would be nice to think that diet alone could be a panacea for what ails us, but alas, there are so many other factors involved. However, having said that, I'm willing to give it a go...love the cuisine of the Mediterranean region!

hannabell
12:12:23 PM on
09/04/09

Let's see the headlines: 'might', 'may' and 'might' again.

These so called studies are nothing more than fodder to fill the magazines and websites such as yours. But for the 'healthy food' activists wishing to to convert the rest of the world to their way of thinking, these articles are proof.

It's one thing to elaborate on the taste and life style of the mediterranean, it's another to preach its perceived virtues.